This week, 19 Americans are trekking to Siberia to wrestle in the world's toughest tournament. To get you up to speed on the prestigious Ivan Yariguin, we're going to do previews for each day.

Watch 2019 Ivan Yariguin Grand Prix Live on Flo

January 23-26 | 11:00 PM Eastern

After several years sending people to cover the event, it will for the first time be streamed live on FloWrestling. The 30th annual version promises to be another excellent tournament, and for the second year in a row will kick off the ranking series for the year. Placing here earns you points to determine seeding at the world championships.

Day one begins on Wednesday evening with 57kg, 61kg, and 70kg on the men's freestyle side. As always, remember that brackets are random draw and will not come out until the day before that weight wrestles.

Previews: Day Two | Day Three

57kg

For two years, this weight has been dominated by Zaur Uguev of Dagestan. But the 2018 world champ is out with an injury, opening up room for several other Russians to make their mark. Uguev’s absence also does not leave this weight without world medalists, as there are three registered.

Similar to last year, Russia will be allowed to enter five athletes in each weight class, with a wrestle-off coming before the tournament to get the number down to three in the main bracket. The best of the bunch is Abasgadzhi Magomedov of Dagestan. A Junior world champ this past year at 61kg, he qualified for Yariguin by winning the Alans tournament in December. With his junior eligibility exhausted, he’s now senior level full time and has become a threat to win every tournament he enters.

Thomas Gilman’s first time competing since the world championships in Budapest will also be his first trip to Russia. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club has a history of sending lightweights to compete at the Yariguin, with Tony Ramos, Dan Dennis, Cory Clark, and Matt McDonough all competing there in recent years. Going back 25 years, Tom Brands won this back in 1993.

Perhaps we will see a more offensive version of Gilman after some time off. Only one time at the world championships was he able to shoot, get his hands locked, and score. Only two other times at all did he shoot, and both times his lock was almost immediately broken. Every other score was a stepout, primarily off an underhook or front headlock.

Mongolia is sending a couple world medalists at this weight: two-time 57kg bronze medalist Bekhbayar Erdenebat and last year’s 61kg bronze Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg are both registered. Erdenebat entered Budapest as the favorite after winning the Asian games and going undefeated at the World Cup, but went 0-1 at both the world championship and Alans. If we see the version of Eredenebat that showed up for the first nine months of 2018, he can win the whole thing. Tumenbileg was bronze here a year ago, and also has a bronze from the 2016 Asian championships and was the 2014 world University champion.

Donduk-Ool Khuresh-Ool made the finals of four tournaments in 2018, and was bronze in two others. He has clearly proven himself to be one of Russia's best at 57kg right now and will be the only returning Yariguin medalist at this weight. He fell to Uguev in the Russian Nationals finals and Magomedov in the Alans finals, as well as twice losing to Erdenebat in finals last year.

Other Russians include U23 world team member Muslim Sadulaev, who won the Medved and was bronze at Russian Nationals. The other bronze from Russian Nationals in Aryaan Tyutrin has also qualified; he won the Dmitri Korkin last year.

Nomad’s Picks

GOLD: Magomedov, RUS

SILVER: Eredenebat, MGL

BRONZE: Gilman, USA

BRONZE: Khuresh-Ool, RUS

61kg

As is to be expected in the pre-Olympic year, the non-Olympic weights will start to clear out a bit. That of course does not mean they will be completely devoid of talent, just that the six weights we'll see in Tokyo will have a greater share of it than in the previous two years.

Magomedrasul Idrisov spent a couple years toiling in relative obscurity in Dagestan before putting it together last year, winning U23 golds at both the European and World championships, as well as Russian Nationals. Perhaps his most impressive win was dominating Aleksandr Bogomoev.

One of seven world medalists from the USA competing, Joe Colon is wrestling in the Yariguin for the first time. After not winning the world team spot at Final X, an injury to Nahshon Garrett gave him an opportunity, which he took advantage of. The Fresno State assistant entered Budapest as the four seed and left with a bronze medal, which currently has him sitting in a tie for the third most points at 61kg entering 2019.

Also representing America will be Cory Clark, making his second straight appearance in Krasnoyarsk. He lost an exciting one to the above mentioned Tumenbileg in his only match of the tournament. Later in the year, he beat past world medalist Vladimir Dubov in Poland. He would've met Idrisov for bronze, but the Russian forfeited out after losing in the semis.

Ramazan Ferzaliev finally won a major tournament, qualifying for Yarygin with his title at the Alans. It's hard to figure where he fits in the pecking order after going 0-1 at Russian Nationals. But he beat two-time Euro silver Beka Lomtadze to win the tournament in Ossetia last month.

Eduard Grigoriev is the final Russian to watch in this weight. He has finished ahead of Ferzaliev several times, but it seems as though the two have never met.

Nomad's Picks

GOLD: Idrisov, RUS

SILVER: Colon, USA

BRONZE: Ferzaliev, RUS

BRONZE: Grigoriev, RUS

70kg

This has the potential to be an excellent weight. Defending world champ Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov is the current favorite, but Junior world champ David Baev and two-time medalist James Green will also be in the bracket.

Gazi has long been a favorite of mine, and someone who has won a world title both times he's been. However, the 2018 version was a far cry from the 2015 version we saw in Las Vegas. Instead of being leg attack heavy, he switched his style to use his length defensively and frustrate people with his hand fighting and overhook that makes him extremely difficult to take down.

Baev was teammates with Magomedov on the 2016 Junior Euro team, and both are clearly guys the Russian coaching staff is putting time and resources behind. He won the Junior world title in 2017 and was silver at U23 worlds last year. In the semis of the Alans, he and Green had an excellent battle in which Green actually scored more takedowns, but Baev had a four and a shot clock point. Check out their match below, focusing on the crucial exchange at the 5:15 mark in which Green could have been awarded exposure points after his takedown.

Green was criticized last year for being more hesitant to pull the trigger and being less offensive than in previous years. He upped his offensive output a little bit at Alans from the world championships. If he can keep his feet moving, he'll keep himself off the shot clock and win some more takedown battles, putting him in position to bring home a medal.

Alongside 2017 JR world champ Baev comes 2018 JR world silver Razambek Zhamalov, who won the Mindiashvili this past weekend to qualify for Yarygin. He's stayed active the past few months, winning the Intercontinental Cup, going undefeated at the Akhmat Kadyrov Cup, and getting third at Alans.

The final world medalist is Mandakhnaran Ganzorig of Mongolia, who is getting older but is still a high level wrestler. Green's Final X opponent Jason Chamberlain will be in this bracket as well. Finally there is Olympian Katal Yeerlanbieke of China.

Nomad's Picks

GOLD: Gazimagomedov, RUS

SILVER: Baev, RUS

BRONZE: Green, USA

BRONZE: Zhamalov, RUS